In The Cards
by bokfresh
Summary: 78 cards, 78 stories, 78 pasts, presents, and futures. The lives of Dave and Kurt, seen through the mystical framing device of the Tarot.
1. 0 The Fool

My first multi-chapter story! This isn't a cohesive story, though, it's just a collection of super-short ones. I'm kind of madly obsessed with the Persona games, so as I was playing and had all the cards floating around in my head, I thought 'Huh, I bet the cards would make good prompts for drabbles', and they did, and it was amazing. At first I was only gonna do the Major Arcana, since most of my sudden inspiration came in the form of the Fool, Death, and Hierophant cards, but as I was reading my books on tarot I saw that the Minor Arcana had some real potential for shorter stories. So that's how this disgustingly huge, 78 drabble long story was made!

So, a little info about how it'll be structured. The Major Arcana stories will tend to be longer, will heavily feature the Glee character I think fits the card the most, and will get its own chapter. The Minor Arcana will be grouped together, with varying amounts per chapter depending where the prompts take me. Ideally, I want to have the Minor and Major chapters be evenly spread out, but that would be way too much work to make it perfect, so there might be lots of Minor followed by lots of Major. It all depends on when inspiration strikes, pretty much.

All of them are going to be Kurtofsky themed. Some of them might feature other pairings for the angst factor, but Dave, Kurt, and their bond with each other will always be the focus. If you are a Blaine fan, I'd prepare yourself for the inevitable Blaine bashing, because like I said in my Kurtbender fic, I straight-up hate Blaine, and find it hard making him a real character, since all I want him to do is be a dick and get punched for it. I'm working on it, though, since that's not good writing habit, and hopefully by the time I get to The Sun (the major card I picked out for Blaine), I'll have evolved him into 'real person' as opposed to 'one-dimensional villain'.

I'll leave more specific warnings to their respective chapters. Enjoy The Fool!

* * *

**0 The Fool**: _The subject of the reading faces a choice of vital importance to him. The beginning of a journey, a leap into the unknown. Significant and unexpected circumstances. Reversed; Fear of the unknown. Excessive conformity. Impulsiveness. You may be foolishly obsessed with your own point of view. _

When Dave first realized that his lingering glances in the locker room weren't just adolescent curiosity, the question of coming out wasn't even a question, it was a statement. '_I can't come out, because I have nothing to come out from. I am not gay'_. The mantra repeated itself over and over in his mind; even as he started staring resolutely into his locker so he didn't glance, even as he started making out with girl after girl, hoping to find one who inspired lust, even as he became more and more aware of the existence of Kurt Hummel.

He thought that Kurt was born out of the closet, so strong and proud that he didn't need the false security. He knows better now, knows that Kurt struggled on his own journey, but at the time he was ignorant, and focused his silent anger on the boy who represented a dream he couldn't even admit to himself. He didn't go near him for a long while, fearing that some stray spark of pride would implant itself in his soul, but he saw how everyone else picked on him. Every dumpster-dive courtesy of Puckerman, every slushie, reinforced his own beliefs. He didn't stop to think that maybe they were picking on him for being just plain different, or because the clothes made such an attractive target for destruction. He could only focus on the gay of it all. They were throwing him in the trash because gays were trash. They slushied him because gays burnt too bright and intense and needed to be cooled down. They locker-checked him because gays were weak.

His mother didn't help the situation, constantly spewing the brimstone and hellfire she learned in Catholic School, and his Dad was quiet about that sort of thing, forcing Dave to think that was just how everyone felt on the topic. He kissed more girls, made more off-color jokes, and finally started bullying Kurt. None of it helped, of course. In fact, it made things worse. Now he was acutely aware that he was probably gay, though he never dared to think the words. The girls bored him, and he couldn't shake the feeling that their bodies just felt _wrong_ under his hands. The jokes left tiny blemishes on his soul, and seeing strong, proud, _beautiful_ Kurt crumpled on the ground or dripping with slush hurt him more than he ever thought it would. He still refused to think about coming out, because he refused to think he was gay.

All of it was shattered when he finally pushed Kurt too far, and was followed into the locker-room. He was reckless, impulsive, _stupid_, and was suddenly on the edge of a cliff, staring down into the fiery inferno below. It didn't matter that he wasn't all that religious, the sudden impending outing left only one course for his life; that it would become a living hell. So he made a choice, made the _worst_ choice, and dragged Kurt down to hell with him. Those few weeks would always be a black mark in his life.

When he had finally driven Kurt away, it left him with a sort of numbness, and he couldn't decide if it was comfortable, or awful. If he hadn't outed him by now, then he probably wasn't going to, though Dave still had that sliver of fear lodged in his heart. Still the question of his coming out wasn't a question, it was a statement, '_I can't come out because then I'll be beaten and driven away and cast into Hell'_. The foolishness of the thought escaped him at the time, of course.

Months passed and slowly, so slowly, the idea of David Paul Karofsky being gay didn't make his stomach clench as much. Santana voicing out loud his probable future helped, strangely. Suddenly having a beard who understood what he was going through accelerated his 'progress', as Kurt would call it, though the Prom debacle halted it for a while. He was cast back into the old fear, thinking it was just as much a statement against him as it was against Kurt. He cursed Loki, the only deity of tricks he could think of, wondering which of his enterprising peers received the whispered plan. When Santana later told him they'd have no way of knowing, and at least nothing else had happened to them, he stopped thinking about it. She also got on his case to offer his sympathy to Kurt, and after making him beg her for Kurt's e-mail address and agonizing over it for a week, he opened up communications with his crush.

Kurt was as kind, gracious, and perfect as ever. He brushed off Dave's condolences, knowing he would have never taken part in a prank like that, and offered his own apology for putting pressure on Dave to come out. They got into a long discussion about his 'journey' out of the closet. Kurt said that it's a choice only he can make, and that there isn't a deadline for it. He said that even for him, he had to think about it, think about what he wanted to say, and to who, and when. He said he pressured Dave because he didn't want him to be upset and scared anymore, he wanted him to be happy, and even Dave had to admit that just the thought of spending his life in the closet, trying to fit into the mold of heterosexual, was nearly unbearable.

The thought of coming out, though, was almost equally scary. Kurt said it was okay, normal even, to be scared, during their first phone-call to each other, and went on to assure him that everything Dave had felt during those dark months was normal too. In a moment of weakness, Dave said he felt alone. Kurt was instantly up in arms, assuring Dave that he would never be alone, not while Santana was still stalking the halls, that Brittany help as well, and even hearing that Kurt's stupid Dalton boyfriend would have his back made him feel a little better. A small part of him still wasn't sold on the idea of this stupid journey, until Kurt said, in a softer voice, that he promised to be always be there, for every step of the way. He said that the choice was David's alone, but that the journey would be filled with more friends than he'd know what to do with.

The question of Dave's coming out wasn't a question, it was a statement. '_I am in the closet, and I will come out when I am ready. Because I am in love with Kurt Hummel'_.

* * *

I think that's the first time I ever had a story/drabble/ficlet of just someone thinking/reflecting. I like how it turned out, though I know it's kind of just regurgitating the plot of the show, but when I thought about The Fool, and of choices and journeys, Dave's journey to acceptance stuck out at me. I'm not all that good at writing serious stuff though, haha, and I can tell you right now most of these are going to be on the sillier side. I'll leave the drama and angst to the people who can actually write it.

As always, I appreciate reviews and suggestions! 78 prompts is a lot to come up with, so if any of you mystics out there would like to suggest something for a specific card, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	2. Minor Cards One to Three

****Minor Arcana Cards 1-3! It's really fun reading the descriptions of cards and coming up with little mini-plots. I think I have a little under half of the prompts written out, but these are the only stories I've written so far.

The only warning for this group I have is language. My cuddly headcannon Dave is always a potty-mouth, and Sebastian seems to be joining the vulgar ranks as well.

Enjoy!

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**Ace of Pentacles**: _Prosperity, a windfall, recognition. Reversed; Bad investments, greed, miserliness._

Dave was definitely in the twilight zone. There was no other explanation for the sight before him. The sight of Kurt Hummel, dedicated boyfriend, frugal spender who lived for sales, who knew a penny-saving trick for every problem, sitting in their bathtub up to his shoulders in _money_. It looked like mostly fives and ones, but he could see a few twenties scattered around, with fifties peeking their heads out once in a blue moon. He realized, in the back of his mind, that he had been staring for a good five minutes now, as Kurt lifted a long leg out of the green mass, sliding a fucking _hundred_ down his smooth skin.

"Would you like to join me, David?" The little fucker sounded like he was enjoying Dave's confusion.

"What the _fuck_, Kurt? Where did all this money come from? And why are you _bathing_ in it?"

"I robbed a bank. And I'm not bathing, I am _luxuriating_."

"Kurt. Come on." He said sharply, in no mood for his boyfriend's joyful evasiveness.

"What? I can't be bathing if I'm not naked. That would be gross. Who knows where this money has been?"

Not exactly the part that Dave wanted an explanation for, so he just glared down, hoping he could loom the truth out of his boyfriend. Kurt stared defiantly back before apparently getting bored of the game.

"You're no fun. My talent and genius have finally been recognized, is all." As if that explained anything. Dave's expression must have said so, because Kurt sighed before continuing. "Remember the designs I made for Fall Fashion-week? Well, apparently they were so well liked that designers got into this massive bidding war over who got them. I've always wanted to do this, and the recent windfall was all the excuse I needed. Now, take off your clothes, put on that pair of board-shorts I like, and come help me celebrate!"

Truth be told, Dave had always wanted to take a money-bath too. Add into that one smirking, nearly-naked boyriend? He couldn't strip fast enough.

* * *

**Page of Wands**: _Messenger, good news, daring. Reversed; Bad news, rumors, acting out_.

Kurt's eyes tracked the UPS guy carefully, taking in every movement. Broad shoulders, strong legs, the fabric of his brown t-shirt stretched to it's limits around flexing biceps; words would never be able to express how happy Kurt was that _this_ handsome man was the one to replace the surly woman who used to deliver to his boutique. When the worker finished loading boxes onto the dolly and started walking towards his store, Kurt practically ran to the door to hold it open.

The taller man grunted his thanks as he rolled the dolly over the threshold. "Thanks. Shit, man, what is in this boxes? I thought this was a clothing store."

"It is," Kurt laughed. "Fabric can be surprisingly heavy when it's folded onto itself a couple hundred times."

"Fuck. Do you need help putting these away? These seem kinda heavy for you. Ah, no offense."

"None taken, I'm well aware of my physical limitations. I'd love some help, thank you." He didn't need the help, of course, but he'd never say no to watching a strong man at work. "I take it you're Julie's replacement?"

"Yup, name's Dave." His handshake sent shivers down Kurt's spine, and he wondered how good those warm, calloused hands would feel on his skin. Blood starting flowing south, which was a definite no-no in skinny jeans, so he started thinking of how Julie's hands would have felt.

"Kurt. The boxes can go in the back, just put them on any open surface. Permanently, or is someone else going to take the route?" He felt so daring! He couldn't remember the last time he flirted with a semi-stranger.

"Nope, I'm yours until I quit or get fired." Dave smiled at him, looking right into his eyes. Kurt blushed.

The two men made quick work of the boxes, much to Kurt's disappointment. Now Dave would have to go, taking with him his muscles and smile and-

"You need anymore help with anything? This was my last drop-off for the day." Well, this was a surprise. Handsome, and nice?

"You're just trying to put off clocking out, aren't you?" Kurt teased.

"You'd suspect that of me?" Dave put on a melodramatic, wounded face. "Can't I just do something nice for a cute guy?" Dave smirked at Kurt, who had immediately gone red.

"I, uh, you can, ah, there are...there are some bolts of fabric in the back that need to be brought to the store-front." Mercedes would not _believe_ this was happening to him. Kurt couldn't believe it either, considering it was playing out like something in a rom-com.

He brought Dave into the backroom again, and pointed out the specific bolts he needed. He was about to pick one up himself when Dave just grabbed them all at once, hefting them onto his shoulder.

"Oh, wow." Kurt said in a breathy voice. "Usually I can only carry two or three at a time. That's...wow, seven. Impressive."

"What can I say? I like showing off." Dave laughed, now blushing himself.

Once the bolts were arranged perfectly, the two stood and stared and smiled at each other, probably looking like a couple of idiots. Something inside Kurt bubbled up, forcing it's way out of his mouth before he could think.

"Would you like to go out for drinks after I close up?"

* * *

**Seven of Swords**: _Trickery, sabotage, taking advantage of someone. Reversed; good advice, an apology_.

If there was one phrase that would describe Sebastian Smythe (outside of walking sex bomb, irresistible charmer, and super-talented Warbler front man) it would be _misery loves company_. He deemed it a personal affront when other people were happy where he was miserable. And Sebastian Smythe was definitely miserable.

"Seb! Seb!" An excited voice called out. Sebastian didn't need to turn around to know Blaine fucking Anderson had just walked into The Lima Bean. Idly, Sebastian wondered if this time, Blaine would actually leave him alone if he ignored him hard enough.

"Sebastian Smythe, are you playing hard to get?" Of course he wouldn't leave him alone, because the Universe hated him. Probably karma for not actually blinding the little guy. "You're so cute." Blaine fawned as he sat down.

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian asked, getting straight to the point. He was so tired of Blaine it wasn't funny.

"What do you mean?" Blaine was clearly confused, which was mind-boggling since Sebastian remembered making himself very clear during their last rendezvous.

"Don't you remember last night? I know you think it's cute to act all drunk after one beer, but even you're not that much of a light weight. I told you to never to talk to me again."

"You were serious?"

"You thought I was joking? How? I used my angry voice and everything."

"Yeah, but...Seb, breaking up with me just because I wasn't comfortable having sex yet?"

"Breaking up? Who said anything about a fucking relationship?" Sebastian had known Blaine was a stupid romantic, of course, because that's all so-called Klaine had ever talked about, but this was just ridiculous. "When, in all of my sexts and seductions, did I ever mention dating?" He spat out dating like it was some awful, unthinkable thing.

Blaine looked to be on the verge of tears. "I thought some of your texts were rather romantic. Isn't that why you wanted Kurt and I to break up? So we could date?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "I didn't care if you were with Kurt or not, I said that during our first coffee meeting. I just wanted to fuck you."

"Well, I want to date you. Then we can have sex, after a while." Blaine had his stubborn face on, the one he heard about from the Warbler Council. It was the reason Blaine got all the solos at first, before they had known about his stupid talent.

"I politely decline. I don't date."

"But...I love you, Sebastian. I know we're meant to be together!"

And that was how Blaine began his taxing war on Sebastian's love life. Anytime he got close to hooking up at Scandals, Blaine would appear out of fucking nowhere and cling on to him, scaring off every fuckable guy in a five-mile radius. It was driving Sebastian crazy. It was making him _miserable_. So when, after having an actual, honest-to-God 10/10 be driven off by Blaine fucking Anderson, Sebastian spotted the absolutely adorable couple of Bear Cub and that girl-faced twink, the Warbler decided to entertain himself with a little sabotage.

The problem with breaking up 'Kurtofsky', Sebastian decided, was that even though the relationship was relatively new and therefor unstable, they fucking _communicated_ with each other so much that it was as if they'd been dating for centuries. He started out small, texting from his own number, hoping his sordid history with Kurt would lend him enough sway to break them up.

**From Criminal Chipmunk: **did cub tell u about the time we made out 4 an hour  
**From Gay Face: **No, but he did tell me about the time he asked you for dating advice and you made fun of his eyebrows and told him to stay in the closet.

See? If he had texted that to Kurt while he was dating Blaine, it probably would have caused major problems, but Dave was so fucking open that it didn't even a sow a single seed of doubt.

**From Criminal Chipmunk:** u know, i still see cub at scandals. talking to other guys. cute guys.  
**From Gay Face:** Imagine that, he regularly visits the first place he felt at home in his own skin. Have you talked to that cute guy Jason recently? He was just telling David that you broke his heart. Sad face. Blaine says 'I love you'.  
**From Criminal Chipmunk:** tell him i say to go fuck himself  
**From Gay Face:** He's ecstatic that you finally return his feelings.  
**From Criminal Chipmunk:** fucker

Maybe Dave would prove the weaker link.

**From Sebastian:** did u kno kurt blaine and i almost had a threesum  
**From Cub:** Did you know you're losing your skills at trickery? Stop harassing my boyfriend. No one at Scandals would blame me if I punched you.

Jesus, was Cub always that violent? Isn't he supposed to be big and cuddly or some shit?

Obviously, he'd have to take this into the real world, because texts weren't cutting it. He started using his skills of seduction to get randoms at the bar to go hit on the couple. When he sent them to hit on Dave, all he got was a blushing, stammering cub and a grinning Kurt. How was he supposed to know that Dave had lingering body issues and the frequent praise was doing wonders for his fucking self-esteem?

It was worse when he sicked the randoms after Kurt. He barely had to do any convincing to get them to hit on Gay Face, which was frustrating by itself. He thought it was working, at first, because after a while Cub started looking pretty angry, and was talking to Kurt in a hushed, angry tone. When Dave practically dragged Kurt out of the bar, he thought his plans were finally working. He went to bed happy, and woke up disgusted as he got a long, _graphic_ message from Kurt, thanking him for sending all those guys after him because a possessive, jealous Dave was _amazing_ in bed.

He even almost resorted to anonymous cyber-bullying, before he remembered the circumstances of Dave's suicide attempt, and not even he was that cruel. Plus, he wanted to be able to take credit for the breakup. He wracked his brain trying to find some sort of brilliant scheme, but he couldn't get too shady because his Dad was already pretty angry at him for the whole rock-salt slushie thing (though the more Blaine showed up at his house, singing tacky love-songs, the less sympathy his parents had for the boy).

So, he gave up on ruining lives for the first time in recent memory, sulked back to Scandals, ordered the highest proof drink in the bar, and went to town. The sound of an exuberant "Sebastian!" was almost, _almost_ drowned out by the sound of someone violently slamming their head on the bar, praying for release from their misery.

* * *

Seven of Swords was fun to write. I may have to include more of mischievous-but-not-malicious Sebastian.

Is three a good number of Minor to put on one chapter? These things always look so much longer when I'm writing them, but when I upload them onto here it's like, 'oh that's all I wrote? wow that's hardly anything'. Next time I'll try for four or five and see how that looks.

You should review and send me PMs about how amazing this is so far 3


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